regarding the mess
by WingsOfTheYatagarasu
Summary: Wallace is still recovering from the crisis. Juan has a secret regarding his family that he's been keeping for three decades, one that's been brought out by the very same crisis. Juan arranges for them to meet in order to sort out these things.


_**author's note:** you ever have that one wild headcanon that makes no sense but canon never said it couldn't happen_

 _i had one, and this was finished at three in the morning because i was so determined. whoops._

* * *

The soft pattering of rain hit the glittering waters of Sootopolis gently, but it seemed like the entire city was on edge. Once sun-kissed white stone was darkened by the soft drizzle, and the dark skies only seemed to spell doom after Kyogre's rampage. Any sign of lightning would surely send the city into a panic, as if the familiar buildings of the city, built as stark white as the stone that made up the crater, would be destroyed in an instant once the thunder began to sound.

As if the flood would come back again, sweeping away the city's lower levels with it.

Wallace realized this as they walked between buildings, knowing that Juan was waiting for them back in the gym. They'd assumed that this was simply due to the recent crisis -There was little doubt that their old master had been concerned about them after the events, to say the least. They'd wanted to be inside more than anything once the rains had come. They were _trembling_ as they finally reached the shore of the crater, taking a deep breath before stepping into the waters below.

 _It's nothing,_ they tried to tell themself, _May's done her part. Kyogre is gone. Sootopolis will be_ fine.

This thought did nothing to ease their mind.

Their city, their _home,_ the people they were supposed to be serving and protecting, had nearly been wiped out by the folly of one man.

Slowly, they glided through the waters, letting instinct guide them back to the gym. The puzzles hadn't been activated. The floor tiles would hold steady as Wallace walked across them.

Most importantly, however, there were no trainers there. _Everyone_ was taking time off after May had received her Rain Badge. It'd meant that the Gym was one of the best places, one of the _only_ places, for Wallace to have a completely private conversation with _anyone,_ and Juan…

Juan had requested that this talk be private.

 _But what could that possibly mean?_ Wallace had asked themself. Juan had never been so insistent on such a thing. What sort of details could possibly come of such a talk?

Wallace supposed, as they climbed onto the shore in front of Sootopolis Gym, letting their mentor take their hand and help them out, that they'd find out once he'd spoken of it.

Removing their hat and shaking their hair dry, Wallace could only feel relief wash over them as they faced the familiar face in front of them. Yes...Juan had always had that effect on them. They'd known him since they were a child, after all, and though he seemed perhaps a bit _too_ young to be their father (unless his womanizing nature had led him to such things when he was but a teenager - but the mere thought of it, to Wallace, was absolutely absurd!), he'd always seemed like family to them. When Juan let out a soft chuckle, waiting for Wallace to unlock the doors to the gym, Wallace could only look to him and smile.

"It's been quite some time," Wallace greeted, "Master."

"Indeed it has," Juan replied, bowing, "I do apologize for my absence during such a time. Shall we?"

Opening the doors to the gym, Wallace gestured for their mentor to head in.

"We shall. After you, then."

* * *

The water cascading over the walls, the pools below the icy floors, the floor tile puzzles put into place with every new challenger...And of course, the top. Juan couldn't have imagined it as any more perfect for his apprentice. Wallace had carried themself well throughout their time as leader, it seemed, even with the underlying aura of melancholy they were giving off at such a time.

Juan couldn't help but wonder if Wallace felt the same from him.

He'd had a lot to discuss with the young leader, after all. Things he'd have otherwise kept secret.

Had the crisis not have happened, perhaps he wouldn't have felt the need to finally get such a heavy weight off his chest. There were things he'd been carrying with him for so long. Things that were to remain clandestine, things he could no longer keep hidden gracefully under lock and key. It was time Wallace, at the very least, knew these things about their master.

The two stood at the gym's highest point, both taking in the atmosphere of such a moment. Neither could deny that something felt terribly, _terribly_ wrong.

"Wallace," Juan began, "I must apologize for one other thing. What I've come here to speak of concerns Kyogre's recent awakening."

"There's no need," Wallace quickly replied, "I've come to speak about the same thing. It...Something struck me as I was swimming here, Juan. It's so _ironic,_ at least now, that the one giving the Rain Badge can't even handle a gentle shower anymore, do you not agree?"

Wallace _had_ seemed nervous as they'd surfaced from their swim. They'd stepped out with heavy breaths and a look in their eyes that told Juan that they were right on the cusp of their own fight-or-flight reaction. They'd looked like a wild Pokémon, almost. After such a storm, Juan couldn't blame them in the slightest - He himself could hardly imagine the damage that must have been done to Sootopolis during such a time.

"...Indeed," Juan answered, "Wallace...Every disaster will leave an imprint on those it affects. To have to stand tall and uphold such a facade after such an event is an enormous task on its own. You have done wonderfully in upholding your graceful image when it's needed most."

"Thank you, master," Wallace whispered, bowing slightly, "I've been waiting for a moment like this. To be able to finally shatter the walls I've been putting up for the past month...It's frightening, in a way."

"It's quite understandable," Juan reassured, "I cannot imagine how exhausting it must be."

The two stood in silence for a long while, with Wallace sitting down where they were, taking in the misty atmosphere of the gym. Juan sat beside them, eyes locked on the ceiling above. It was good, letting Wallace get their feelings out. There had been a look in their eyes, perhaps the same one that they'd had when they'd arrived at the gym, that had made Juan think of the child Wallace had once been. The child they'd taken under their wing after their father failed to return home from his work at sea. The child who had prayed endlessly to Kyogre, offered so much to it in hopes that it wouldn't take another member of their family. The child who had watched as their elder sister struggled as a young single mother who found comfort in the bottom of a bottle. The child who had grown into a teenager with more spirit than anyone Juan had seen.

It was one moment, the moment when Wallace began to show such immense amounts of promise as a trainer, the moment when they once stood in front of the Cave of Origin, once again offering the same prayer to Kyogre despite a snapped arm from a wild Gyarados, all to protect their sister as she left the outside of Sootopolis by ship, that Juan made his decision.

This was the one. They would lead Sootopolis once he left.

Wallace looked to Juan, their words snapping him out of his nostalgic trance.

"...But, master," they sighed, "You mentioned having something to discuss. What were you going to say?"

Ah yes...A secret of three decades. He'd finally be letting that one out.

"...I'd hoped to confide in you," Juan admitted, "Because of the crisis, I have been forced to confront something that I'd hoped would remain far in the past. I thought such a fact would be comforting."

"...Confide?" Wallace echoed, "I hardly expected to hear such a thing from you...What do you mean, you'd hoped this would remain in the past?"

Taking a deep breath and looking his apprentice in the eye, Juan's words escaped quietly from a tightened throat.

"...Do you recall the leader of Team Aqua," Juan began, "Archie?"

"...Yes?" Wallace replied, cocking their head, "What are you getting at?"

"He's much younger than he looks," Juan continued, "I'll give you a moment to figure out why I might know this."

The gears in Wallace's head only turned for a moment before they looked to Juan with eyes like that of a Deerling in the headlights.

"You can't be telling me…" Wallace gasped, "He's…"

"Yes," Juan sighed, "Archie is my son."

All at once, Wallace practically _leapt_ back. This hardly came as a surprise to Juan - Of course they wouldn't take it well. It would come as a shock to anyone, hearing such a fact. But Wallace, their posture seemed so _overdramatic,_ with how they seemed to have nearly _fainted_ at such a thing. Or perhaps they were merely faking it for effect?

Oh, Juan dreaded how Wallace would take the next revelation.

"B-But…" Wallace stammered, " _How?_ You can't possibly tell me...Define 'younger than he looks.'"

"Archie," Juan explained, "Is thirty. Indeed, three decades ago, when I was only fifteen, I'd made what I consider to be the greatest mistake of my life. I had been a young fool, Wallace, and like any young fool, I'd fallen deeply in love with a girl my age, a young trainer who had come to Hoenn to further her studies. When she proposed the idea of a night together, I'd been hesitant at first, but eventually...After much time thinking it over, I'd finally decided we were ready for such a thing. Then came more nights. Only a few more, but enough that she came to me, a few weeks after one of our nights of teenage mischief...It ends as you can imagine."

Wallace had been listening intently to Juan's story of what had happened, only speaking up at the end of his explanation.

"But then...What happened after that?" Wallace inquired, "Juan, this is...This is outrageous! Did you...Did you simply _abandon_ him?!"

"Your doubts are understandable." The corners of Juan's mouth curved upwards as he spoke again. It was a wistful, nostalgic smile, clearly meant to mask the underlying sorrow. "You must remember, Wallace, that my family has quite the reputation to uphold. I had no choice in the matter - My parents were quick to separate the two of us before we could even discuss such things, and she returned to her home in Alola. It wasn't until five years later that I saw her visiting Hoenn again, a young boy by her side that looked like such a stranger to me. I learned then that she had called him Archie, and that he'd indeed been my child."

Pausing for a moment to take a deep breath, trying to keep a lump from forming in his throat, Juan glanced away from Wallace.

"She'd entrusted her aunt and uncle with him, and the two had been passed off as cousins the entire time. At that point, she'd told me, he had no need for his birth father…" Trailing off for a moment, Juan looked to Wallace once again. "...And neither had the other child born of my own foolish mistakes."

"Th-The _other…_?!" Wallace looked away for a moment, trying to take a breath after such an explanation. "You...What do you mean, another?"

"I mean that I'd found another paramour before I saw Archie again," Juan continued, "This relationship...It was a whirlwind, I will say. A different mistake resulted in my next son - This time, it had been inadequate protection, I'm afraid. Though this second child...Unlike Archie, he'd still lived in Hoenn, and as such I'd been able to visit him behind the backs of my family. Even if I've long since broken off any romantic relationship with his mother, I know he'd remember me if he saw my face."

Juan let out a soft chuckle, the smile returning to his face.

"...Because after all, I doubt Tabitha would forget his mother's closest friend, his Uncle Juan. Hoho..."

Wallace had fallen silent, understandably so. It'd been a lot to take in - _Two_ children, conceived before Juan had even turned eighteen, on opposing sides of the recent conflict...It was _unbelievable._ One of Sootopolis's most prominent figures had been carrying _that_ sort of secret this entire time…

Wallace had hardly been able to believe it, that much was clear, but they'd clearly accepted it by that point. Juan was their _master,_ after all. What reason would he have to lie?

More importantly…

"...Do you have plans to tell them ever?" Wallace asked hesitantly, "At the very least, they should know their relation to each other after what's happened."

"Yes...I cannot imagine how either will react," Juan replied, "But soon, they will know. I have plans to head to Lilycove soon, and should Archie be nearby, I'll deliver the news then. Rest assured, I've thought this through, Wallace. It's going to come as quite a shock to both of them. Care must be taken."

"...Yes, I understand completely. I won't say anything regarding this once I've left, I can promise you."

Silence surrounded them once more. It had been good, reflecting on such things. Wallace had certainly asked an important question. When _would_ Juan be able to tell the two of them? Their relation to each other, he'd never thought they needed to know, but seeing his own children, each on their own side of a cataclysmic conflict…

Juan could no longer stay silent. That had become apparent when Archie had shown his face in public like he had.

"...Master…" Wallace whispered, "Thank you. Simply hearing such words from you...It's indeed comforting, knowing that you've been affected by recent events."

"I should say the same," Juan replied, "I could have never imagined, years ago, that I'd one day be telling you about this. Perhaps this is merely fate at work once again."

"Hahaha...Yes, of course." Wallace's tone came out much lighter than before. Their voice came out legato, each word flowing together with the gentle grace Juan had become so familiar with. Truly, he'd rubbed off on Wallace. "Though it's getting quite late now. Much as I'd like to continue this, I must be returning home."

The two stood up together, with Juan being the first to step away.

"In that case," he said, closing his eyes, "I'll leave you alone for the night. Do not concern yourself with me any longer tonight - You've done plenty as is. Au revoir."

"...Farewell...Master."

As Juan's figure faded from sight and the doors opened, leaving Wallace alone, they couldn't help but remember _how much_ they'd learned from Juan. Every lesson etched into their mind, every word of advice he'd given echoing through his head, every Sootopolitan tradition, traditions that only Juan could pass onto them, traditions that only the two of them knew of…

And now they had to add another lesson: It was possible, it was _always_ possible, to come to terms with one's past.

They'd carry that for the many months to come. It wouldn't be enough for them to forget, but it'd be enough that they'd be able to hold themself up when they were needed in Sootopolis most.

As Wallace stepped out of the gym, the rain hadn't let up, though it'd still hardly been more than a light shower. _It's fine,_ they reminded themself, _It took Juan thirty years. It may take you your entire life from here, but someday, you_ will _move on._

They'd simply take it one step at a time.

Though they shivered in the frigid rains, Wallace leapt into the crater after locking the gym once more, carrying themself towards shore once again.

Swimming home would be the first step, just as Juan's conversation with them had been his.

As Wallace surfaced, the thought that the clouds would soon part came to mind.

Perhaps that would be the same for them and Juan. Perhaps, though not soon as Wallace would have liked, they'd both be able to stand with clear heads and their feet in the present instead of the past.

Like mentor, like apprentice, perhaps Wallace too could recover.


End file.
